For the first time in three years, Morris had to go to work for the Madison County Sheriff's Department without his loyal partner and friend -- a 7-year-old German shepherd named Brek.

Holmes found his K-9 partner unresponsive in his kennel Friday, took him to Bentley Animal Hospital and learned Brek had died of gastric dilatation volvulus, a medical term for the twisting of the stomach. It was not only a tough blow for Holmes, but for his wife and three kids ages 16, 11 and 3 who also came to love Brek as a member of the family.

"Brek was like my partner," Holmes said quietly. "It's going to be tough to get in that car tomorrow (today) and him not be there. I'd rather not go out there, but that's what I do, and what I love to do. I'm going to miss him."

Brek, the only German shepherd in the K-9 unit -- the other three are Belgian Malinois -- had been with the sheriff's department since he was a year old. It had always been Holmes' dream to work with a K-9 since he started working in the Madison County jail almost 10 years ago, but there were no programs to bring a police dog into the jail.

Still, Holmes never gave up. "I'm getting me a dog," he thought.

Holmes was transferred to a patrol car and applied for the K-9 program in 2007, but again it wasn't easy. There are only four K-9 handlers in the Madison County Sheriff's Office, and as Holmes said, most officers love it so much they retire as handlers. So, he had to wait two more years for an opening.

Holmes said there were five people who also wanted to work in the K-9 program, and only one person got the opportunity. Fortunately, Holmes said, he received the opportunity to work with Brek. Again, it wasn't automatic that dog and handler would bond.

Holmes and Brek worked 10 hours a day every day for three months at the Madison County K-9 facility to see if they could work together. Holmes also took Brek home with him, and while the dog was in his kennel, the deputy would brush and talk to him.

"There are times when a handler and dog don't connect, and it's not the dog's fault or the handler's fault -- they just don't mesh," Holmes said. "It takes a special person to do this job. It's tedious and time-consuming.

"I wore out two pairs of new boots during the training. He was training me. He was the veteran and I was learning what to do."

As Holmes and Brek bonded for law enforcement, the deputy and his family also came to love the K-9 dog. It's a tricky issue for families because K-9 dogs are taught to apprehend and bite criminals, but Holmes said Brek learned to love the family.

"They would go out by the kennel and just talk with him and he'd get to know their voice and learn they're not a threat to me," Holmes said. "He would play in the yard with them, and as long as they threw his Kong toy, he would go get it.

"My family loved that dog and is just as upset about his passing as I am. He will be greatly missed.

"There's just no way to describe it. Imagine if you had a pet and bonded with it. Then, imagine it's there eight hours a day with you to protect you."

Holmes plans to have Brek cremated and keep his ashes. He will eventually get another K-9 partner, but he says there will never be another like Brek.